RAWALPINDI: President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday said introduction of health cards scheme was a major breakthrough in providing proper health cover to the deserving segments of the society.
Addressing a ceremony in Rawalpindi, President Alvi directed the Ministry of Health to evolve a comprehensive policy to observe a ‘fitness day’ every year to create awareness among the people about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
“Our society is facing multiple problems because of ill planning in the health sector,” he said.
The president said on one hand there were a majority of people who were suffering from malnutrition and stunted growth of children because of deficiency of proper food and nutrition while on the other hand a number of people were facing different diseases like blood-pressure, hypertension, and diabetes and stomach problems because of carelessness in their daily lifestyle.
He said prevention of diseases had a vital role for a healthy nation than just focusing on improving the health cover.
Arif Alvi said China had uplifted its population from poverty and diseases with better planning in a short span of time and we can learn a lot from their experience in those sectors.
Last month in a statement, Health Minister Aamir Kiani said half of the population of Pakistan will have health cards for free medical treatment by next year.
The minister said people having health cards would be able to get medical treatment free of cost at private hospitals up to 720,000 rupees.
Aamir Kiani said best facilities would be provided to the needy at shelter homes, and the provincial governments concerned would bear the expenditures for it.
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